Why ‘Tough Love’ May Not Be as Biblical as You Think

2020 07 Love another
Share:

Dr. Steve Greene, publisher and executive vice president of Charisma Media Group, knows about love. As a longtime marketing expert, college professor, pastor, podcast host and mentor to many, he has lived out love in the marketplace—and depended on the Holy Spirit to give him the love he needed in every situation.

That’s why he wrote the book, Love Leads, Greene tells host and deliverance minister Kathy DeGraw in a recent episode of Prophetic Spiritual Warfare on the Charisma Podcast Network. He had read many leadership books and although they taught him a great deal, “There’s something missing from them,” he says. “I thought there was a core ingredient, and that was godly love. …. If you don’t have love, if God is love, and you don’t have love, how can you possibly lead?” Greene says that although he was never good at algebra, he realized this was a simple equation: “If you don’t have love, you can’t lead a godly mission.”

Greene had some encouraging feedback on his book from someone he calls “a well-known leader in the kingdom, who told him, ‘Your book rocked me.'” But this leader added, “‘I don’t think this book is going to sell well among pastors, because most pastors believe they’re good leaders. And they believe that they must lead, that they don’t need love. They need to be strong in their pulpit. They need to show people that tough love.’

“I don’t think I’ve ever read ‘tough love’ in the Bible,” Greene says. “Never saw examples of it. I see correction. I see strong rebuke. But I don’t see tough love. I don’t think they’re synonyms. I don’t think that ‘tough’ describes ‘love’ in any way. … The capacity to love has got to be something supernatural because I can’t do it in my flesh. I think some people can feel love in the flesh, that we can make a choice to love. But that choice is going to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.”

To hear more about godly love and how you can access it through the Holy Spirit in all of your relationships, click here to listen to the entire podcast. {eoa}

+ posts
Share:

Related topics:

See an error in this article?

Send us a correction

To contact us or to submit an article

Click and play our featured shows

How is Our Ministry Shaped by Pressure?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zSp-evtKs&t=1s We’ve all had influences in our Christian walks. Some good, some bad, and some have been so influential they shape the rest of our lives in how we operate in ministry and the paths we take in life. No...

Experience God’s Power in Everyday Life

After I became a Christian, there were many years when I had no victory in my everyday life. I was miserable because I still had wounds in my soul from the past that made me insecure, angry, suspicious of others...

If Your Child Says They See Demons, Believe Them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muaE4lw4Opw For many parents, the topic of seeing demons often is chalked up to a wild imagination and not a spiritual attack. And sometimes kid’s imaginations do get the better of them; they are children, after all. But what happens...

David Diga Hernandez: The Anointing is Protecting You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH_5q29elrA&t=1005s God does not look at the outward appearance, but at the inward heart. This biblical truth is one most of us remember from reading King David’s story. When he was just a boy working in the fields as a...

Morning Rundown: Pastor Admits Trying to Resurrect Deceased Wife

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3LgJVWyef0 Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories on charismanews.com: Pastor Admits Trying to Resurrect Deceased Wife If you are in crisis, please call 988 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org. You are not alone. The story behind Mica Miller’s recent death is a...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 97 98 99 100
Scroll to Top